Tales Of The Prima Vista
by TheVulpineHero1
Summary: A collection of 20 short bites for the characters of FFIX, and a few pairings. Zidag, Viko, Fremarant, Beainer.
1. Professional

_Zidane Tribal_

_Professional

* * *

_

It was a rare summer's morn when Zidane wasn't fleeing from the scene of some previous misadventure.

"Hey, Rusty! What the hell're ya doin'?"

Although, that said, it was also a rare morning when Lard-Ass Adelbert could catch him.

Admittedly, Sir Clanky had snuck up on him (unlikely, but true), and collared him for _nothing._ One moment he was talking, the next he was being marched to the castle, a pair of rust covered gauntlets wrapped around his neck.

"How could you, Tribal? How dare you indulge your lecherous nature, now that you have such importance to the Queen?" Steiner bellowed somewhere above his right ear.

The gears started clicking in the thief's head, just like the clockwork that ran the bell in the Theatre District. He _had_ been talking to a lady at the time...

"Pah. I have to practice up, y'know? How am I supposed to seduce Dagger when I can't even get a date with a waitress?" he smiled. Of course, he hadn't. But getting Rusty riled was a national pass-time.

"You...You!"

Steiner defaulted to throwing his hands in the air in outrage, giving Zidane an opportunity to slip out of his grip.

"What can I say?" he shrugged. "I'm a professional. Y'know- Zidane Tribal, breaking homes, bones and hearts, not necessarily in that order."

"Oh, is that so?"

The gulp was involuntary. Whipping around (his tail hit something, but his mind was elsewhere), he came face to face with Dagger herself.

"Well, Zidane," she smiled, grabbing his ear, "I, too, am a professional."

"My Queen, are you sure you wish to deal with this reprobate? I would be honoured to..." Steiner started, but his attentions were dismissed by a wave of the royal hand.

"Please, Steiner. I am Queen Garnet Til Alexandros- breaking habits, and little else." She accompanied the sentence with a twist of Zidane's ear.

"Aw, Dagger. Y'know I wasn't doing anything like that," the 'professional' grumbled.

"And when I'm done with you, you'll have no desire to," she replied.

She walked away with the thief in tow, leaving Steiner to realise that where she was leading him definitely was _not_ the dungeon.


	2. The Sky Falls

_Princess Garnet_

_The Sky Falls

* * *

_

She was a child. That much was true. The day she boasted to Marcus in the cable cars that she was a seasoned veteran was possibly the most childish she had ever been.

Now, she feels old. So old. Like the smallest nudge might unbalance her, the slightest touch break a bone. Her childishness has deserted her.

Her friends look on, and they look older too. Aboard the Blue Narciss, they stand together- their expressions grim, their mouths set.

She wants to tell them she's sorry- that it's all her fault. But it seems that the words just won't come.


	3. Sharper Than Pain

_Dagger_

_Sharper Than Pain

* * *

_

It was strangely liberating. She wanted to be a queen, to save her country. Now, her country lies in ruins. She deserted it. And she's happy.

_Somewhere, the north wind carries wisps of soft black hair_

She wonders if it isn't _his_ fault (although, when isn't it?), for letting her choose her name anyways. She asked him if it was okay, and he said yes- just like that. On the cliff outside the Ice Cavern, she became a whole new person.

_Across the ruins of Alexandria, new life stirs_

She named herself after the weapon of a thief- and, like the weapon itself, her life was placed firmly in his hands. She's not oblivious to the irony- she did study drama, after all.

_The play writes itself. Comedy, romance, or tragedy?_

She knows she'll have to go back, when all is said and done. (She refuses to think she might die. He takes damn good care of his weapons). Back to the ruins that broke her, to the place her voice fled. Dagger will cease to exist, a mere persona for the actor that is the Queen.

But there's still a final act to be performed. And until then, she'll revel in Dagger's finale.


	4. Philosophy

_Vivi Ornitier_

_Philosophy

* * *

_

_Drip, drop, drip_

Rain was trickling down his window in little rivulets, cutting a swarthy path across the glass surface.

_Tick, Tock, Tick_

His clock faithfully counted time's beat, to which all men- and mages- must march.

_Flip, flop, flip_

At first, the pages were fast to turn, the words fleeting on his mind. Now he drinks them in, burning them into his memory.

It's a day like any other. And, like yesterday, and the day before it, he can feel himself getting slower- drawing to a halt.

_Drip_

He hasn't cried in a while. Maybe that means he's grown up now. It's possible.

_Tock_

But maybe it's because he doesn't fear death anymore. He thought about it, and, really, the nothingness promised by Necron is scarier still. Even if he stops, he'll still _exist_. He'll be Vivi in everyone's memories, and isn't that more important?

_Flip_

To be honest, he doesn't know.

But the precious time he wastes, watching the rain fall down his window and drinking in the words he himself has written, is not wasted because he is doing nothing of importance.

Because the right to live one's life without adventures, without war, without bloodshed- that's what they were fighting for.


	5. Desire

_Quina Quen_

_Desire

* * *

_

_You see, you want. You want, you get._

Mushrooms tasty. Nothing compared to Bundt Cake.

_Is the way of the Gourmet. Nothing simpler._

This city has tasty sand.

_Go out into the world, and take. Take until satisfied._

No like heights. But time! Time runs out.

_Then give back. Give back knowledge to lesser Gourmets._

Zidane is fool. He gives, but does not take. How? How can give, when nothing taken to give back?

_It forms cycle, like the frog. You eat frog, but leave a little. The frog breeds, comes back, and you eat frogs._

But he gives _so much_. So, must take. Take as much as can get.

_You eat frogs, but also protect the frogs from greater predator. You destroy frog, but also ensure its survival. How so?_

Quina not know. But Quina will take, and continue to take, until Quina can give back.

_You take. But what you give is always more._

Is way of the Gourmet.


	6. A Lesser Kind Of Loyalty

_Adelbert Steiner_

_A Lesser Kind Of Loyalty

* * *

_

The sweat poured off him in waves, creating artificial heat underneath the plates of his armour. Again, the Bandersnatch leapt, crushing itself against him like a boulder. He shrugged it off, the Blood Sword whistling through the air and into its throat. A half-choked gurgle, and then an illusory silence. Illusory, because it was only the climax of one victory; around them, a veritable army of the beasts massed. But for that instant, all fell still in his world to honour the death of the beast.

Beatrix, tired, broken, bleeding, crashed into his back. Instantly, he accommodated her, blade up, ready for the next charge. Back to back, just like their instructors had taught them. Another beast came towards him, and he cut it down easily, as Beatrix cut down her partner in the deadly dance. And still they stood: two knights against the world.

But not quite. A bolt came down and Freya with it; a mountainous jaw hit the ground, a spear rooting it to the floor, and there was one less Bandersnatch to attend to.

The best Dragon Knight of Burmecia, the invincible general of Alexandria, and him, Adelbert Steiner. They wouldn't lose. They couldn't. And it wasn't just because the Princess and her escort were depending on them.

Traitors, the jesters called them. Steiner's cold steel eyes took in the ravenous brutes that all but skewered themselves on his blade. They took in the pitiless golems, so unlike Vivi, that threw themselves at him, heedless for their own safety. They took in the jesters themselves, so far down the path that nothing could pull them back. And if that was _loyalty_, he didn't want it.

Loyalty wasn't just something you gave to your own ideals.

Loyalty wasn't even something you gave to your Queen.

Loyalty was what you pledged to yourself and your ideals, the people you saw everyday on your patrols, your friends, your brothers in arms. And as he cut down another dog in the service of his own Queen, flanked by allies who were traitors just like him, he knew that his loyalty was not of the lesser kind.


	7. Toil

_Freya Crescent_

_Toil

* * *

_

The rain falls, as it always does.

_Do you remember, so long ago?_

Even in this moment of happiness, despair draws near.

_Cherish this moment, for nothing is eternal._

And so, take up your spear; use its length. Drive away fear with power.

_You promised me._

Be content. You have seen his footsteps fall from his feet. They are fresh, no hallmarks of the reaper.

_To be forgotten_

There is work to be done. The world requires him, but he can no longer answer the call. It falls to you.

_Is worse than death_

He has forgotten you. But Burmecia never forgets. Just as they never forgot Iron Tail Fratley, the name Freya Crescent will live on with the Burmecian people.

_But_

The rain never ceases, so toil in its embrace.

_To be remembered only by the dead is more dreadful still._


	8. In Loneliness

_Eiko Carol_

_In Loneliness

* * *

_

Regency life makes her sick. Too much fine food, and not nearly enough fried oglops. Not that she doesn't love her adopted father, of course. (Did he adopt her, or did she adopt him? Hard to tell). It's just that the city is so big, and she's so small. She feels smaller every day.

Even though, for the record, she's getting taller.

It's funny. For so long, in Madain Sari, she only had moogles for company. And she felt alone.

Now, she lives in a city of thousands, thronging with life. But she feels more alone now than she did back then.

Because the old team (Zidane called it a team; they all called themselves 'allies', even though they all knew they were something _more_) wasn't there anymore. Especially not _him._

"Ah, Eiko. Bored?" Cid asks, his arms full of airship charts. He spends most of his time poring over them, reminding himself of old knowledge. (His mind just isn't the same as a human.)

"Uh-huh," she frowns. She's not in the mood to try on some of the dresses Hilda ordered for her today (although she adored wearing them at first, twirling around and thinking that she was just as pretty as Dagger).

"Well..." Cid whispered, bending his head down to her level (which annoys her, because she wants to be tall, dammit). "I hear that a certain place in the Industrial District just got rebuilt."

"Oh?" she says, uninterested.

"Yep. A pub that me and Zidane used to frequent...At different times, of course," he says, the smile showing through his moustache.

Half an hour later, Bobo's pub still doesn't know what hit it.

"_Another_ Soup du Silence? I don't know how she can take it," the new waitress mutters. Eiko is used to listening to Eidolons, so of course she hears it. But she doesn't care. It's free for her, because she knew Zidane, and he was always coming here because he couldn't get full on the castle grub.

"Hey, brat."

The voice is gruff, but more worryingly, the step is utterly silent. Blank slides himself easily onto the stool next to hers.

"Just to let you know, the food here's awful. One special, Pops," he grins. Bobo slides it along the counter with practised ease.

"Yeah, but...Y'know," she hedges. Cid offered Tantalus jobs, but they refused, to a man. She guesses it's the same reason that Blank comes here.

"You're always welcome at the hideout, y'know. Vivi dropped in the other day. Keeps calling us his Uncles. At least he keeps Ruby off my case," Blank carries on.

Eiko smiles. She doesn't feel quite so lonely anymore. A friend of my friend is my friend too; that was the kind of thing Zidane would say. She was Zidane's friend, and Zidane was a friend of Tantalus. And Tantalus is friends with practically the whole city.

"You'd make a good thief, y'know," Blank says, much later. "You've gone through five bowls so far without paying a single gil."

She decides not to tell him that she's exempt from paying. He still has to root around in his wallet for every meal.

"Step two: the getaway. On your marks, kid," he says casually, sliding himself silently off the stool. She nods, the movement still as happy-go-lucky as it ever was.

Seconds later, there's a yell, but they're already down the street, laughing and yelling. Lindblum, the city of a thousand souls, is a lonely place. But it's not so bad, as long as you have a few souls you truly care about.


	9. Sly Eagles

_Amarant Coral_

_Sly Eagles

* * *

_

He was a big guy, the type it'd take two blackjacks and a grand piano to put down. He had all the prerequisites- massive, padded shoulders, long sinewy arms, and three fewer teeth than nature had intended. You didn't cross the street to avoid him. You crossed the nearest mountain range.

And, yet, there he was, being led around Treno, the city that suited him like no other, by a brat in a pink dress. It was purely beguiling, a slap in the face of common sense. Every thief worth his salt honed in on the weakness. (Later, more than a few would find out that, regardless of mouthy children, he wasn't to be messed with.)

But, that kid was something else. Something had gone _wrong_ with her somewhere. No sense of fear. Did she not see that he outmatched her by at least three feet? Did she not see, in the midst of battle, how he would tear and rip and maim? Did she not notice the notches, the scars, where braver men had tried and failed?

But it wasn't just her. The black mage runt, Vivi, wasn't afraid either. That weirdo Quan _thing_ didn't show a lick of fear. And even Princess (now Queen) Garnet had only raised her royal hackles for a split second before deciding he wasn't a threat.

He could only guess that, because they were all in Zidane's crew, they were just as crazy as him. He wasn't afraid, either- hadn't been the first time they met, when he was a skinny little punk, and hadn't been the second, either. Utterly insane.

In fact, so far, the only one of Zidane's friends who'd so much as blinked in his direction was that rat-knight. He liked that. Showed she had a sense of self preservation, unlike the rest of them. That was the kind of person he could trust.

He wore his claws on the outside. Fair warning to anyone dumb enough to think they could get close to him. And, yet, it seemed that this group of nuts had just danced around his aggressive façade. So, maybe showing your claws didn't frighten off fools. Just showed them how to dodge the claws.

As he thought, he gave a sudden sigh, like a collapsing mountain. The cutpurse sneaking up behind him practically died of fright. The girl just looked up at him, and scolded him for frightening innocent people. Figures.

Cynically, he realised that one of the reasons Zidane and his little crew weren't afraid of him might be because nothing could be as dangerous to them as they were to themselves.


	10. Drama

_Kuja_

_Drama

* * *

_

The whole world is a stage- and like any stage, he dominates it. There can be no room for insipid co-stars, like the Elephant Lady. Garland may have tried to insert himself into the act, a la _deus ex machina_, but in the end it was he, Kuja, who had the last laugh. Terra lies in ruins, its punishment for harbouring the vast decay that inspired Garland to spawn him. There seems little left to do.

But there's one final act to be accomplished, first: the tragic death of the star's own brother. It's a delicious smattering of irony, quite fitting for the curtain call. A case of the Emperor versus the Fool (where did he read that before? Perhaps another by Lord Avon), except this time, the clown shan't win.

And all this because he unwittingly let a canary loose from its cage. Yes, that canary flits around his head even now, pecking and pecking, trying to find even the slightest weakness. It won't hold; he is perfect.

Truly, his is the essence of the play. In the first acts, nothing more than an overarching presence, casting everything in his shadow; slowly, slowly, he unveiled his hand, with a sense of theatrical timing that even Queen Brahne herself would have been able to appreciate. His perfection is boundless...

And yet, there is one thing he stubbornly ignores. One fact that the canary and the clown cling to desperately.

He is the essence of the play. And, like any play, he must end sooner rather than later.


	11. Love Potion

_Blank_

_Love Potion

* * *

_

Zidane claims he's a ladies' man. Well, he learned from the best. Even halfway up a ladder with a hammer in his hand and nails clenched in his jaw, every motion Blank makes just _reeks_ of nonchalance.

"Hey, bro. You gonna finish anytime soon? Cinna noticed his hammer's missin'," Marcus smirks. Blank shrugs, and slides down the ladder with adroit ease. He flashes Marcus a relaxed grin, ruined only slightly by the fact that he still has nails in his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah. Wanna go down to Bobo's? Heard they got a new waitress. Pretty thing, too, if you can believe anything the castle guards say," he whistles, spitting the nails out. Marcus just shakes his head in disbelief. Sometimes, it's like having Zidane back around. Only, not as loud. Blank can try to fill his place (or lose himself in women, whichever it is), but he can't bring Zidane back.

"Suit yourself," Blank replies coolly, tossing Cinna's hammer at him. It almost goes over the edge, and by the time that Marcus is done fumbling and swearing, Blank's already left the scene.

"Maaaaaaaaar-cus! Is that _MY_ hammer?"

Marcus groans. Maybe he was wrong- it's just as loud as Zidane ever was.

-IX-

Bobo's pub is quieter than usual, although the soup du silence has probably got nothing to do with it. Probably. Blank walks (strides, swaggers, _struts_) to his usual stool and slides easily onto it. Zidane had (has, dammit, has, that monkey wouldn't die if he got in a staring contest with a Cockatrice) nothing on him.

A voice comes from somewhere behind him. "Can ah take ya'll's order?"

Must be the new waitress. He takes a deep breath, readies himself, then launches into the task at hand with wonderful bravado.

"Yeah, I'll take two shots of liquor and a date," he smirks.

He's so busy being cool that he doesn't even bother to turn around. If he did, he might realise just how much trouble he's in.

"So, Blank, you think ya'll are a playboy, huh?" the waitress seethes. His name snap him out of his illusory narcissism. (He was acting so well that even he believed it).

"R..Ruby?" he tries, in his very smallest voice.

"Darn tootin'," she snarls into his ear. She puts a bottle on the counter next to him, label side up- Blank's Love Potion (danger of heartburn).

"You got some explainin' to do, mister!"

He grins sourly to himself. Yup- whether it's getting women or getting into trouble, Zidane's got nothing on his 'big brother'.


	12. All The King's Horses

_Beatrix_

_All the King's Horses

* * *

_

Beatrix, the sword that had slain one thousand men.

Beatrix, the invincible general of Alexandria.

Beatrix, Her Majesty's killing rose.

It seemed so long ago that she had held those titles. And, in a way, it had been. It was a whole Queen ago, a betrayal and a flight, a helpless reliance on comrades and an uncomfortable alliance with thieves. So much had happened.

Queen Garnet Til Alexandros.

It was hard to believe that she was a queen now. She still carried herself like a princess- like a girl. Some of the populace had grumbled that she, Beatrix, should have taken the throne.

Maybe she should have.

It was to be seen whether Garnet could hold the weight of a kingdom on her shoulders. She was young- so young. She'd tasted the rich elixir of adventure, and after that, what was the appeal of a palace life? And what was the appeal of being royalty anyway? To be a Queen was to sign away your life to your people, to live as a prisoner in an opulent jail, to stand tall as the nation's scapegoat when times were hard.

To be a knight was to live as one dead. That was what her mentor had told her, long ago. And it was true. To fulfil one's duty, it was necessary to become a pawn, a sacrifice for the eventual checkmate. Her life had already been sworn to another. So, really, she was well equipped to be queen.

She tossed her head with disgust.

Her allegiance was to Garnet. The Princess had decided to take the throne, and it was her duty to support her. Not to second-guess the coronation. She had to discipline herself. Behave like a knight. The scrap of paper she'd found earlier lay crumpled in her hand.

A love letter. A strange, unusual scrawl, not one she was used to, and not belonging to anyone used to writing. It was almost childish in form.

Of course, as a knight, it was her responsibility to put an end to whatever was going on. It wouldn't do to have the troops falling into relationships, when their minds should be devoted to the Queen. And if from a civilian? Well, Alexandria Castle was not the place for the citizens to be having their love trysts.

_And yet_

She was Beatrix, the sword that had slain one thousand men.

_It was touching, in a way_

The invincible general of Alexandria.

_So simple, and yet so whole_

Her Majesty's killing rose.

_Bittersweet._

But as she held the letter in the ball of her palm, she found she could hardly remember what it was to be a woman.


	13. Pillar

_Marcus_

_Pillar

* * *

_

Left behind- that's exactly what he feels. He peers out of the cable car window, eyes scanning the thick, virulent Mist that stole Blank from them.

Zidane's gone, too. Usually, they would have had him do this kind of thing. Out of all of them, he was the most skilful. Hit and miss, but skilful.

Cinna couldn't do it. Cinna's virtues were in his brain and his belly. He was the only one of them that really understood the ship's engine (even though the engine was currently lying on its side somewhere in the Evil Forest), and their cook. Not so good at sneaking.

Baku had things to do in Lindblum. His 'special relationship' with the Regent gave them a lot of freedom they wouldn't have otherwise, but it often meant he couldn't go with them when it mattered.

Even Ruby was gone, left in Alexandria. He wouldn't have asked her to get involved in robbery, anyway. Blank would never forgive him.

So, it fell to him. The last free member of Tantalus. And, deep in his heart of hearts, he's not sure he can do it.

Least of all with that noisy knight bellowing in his ear.

But it's alright. He just needs to go forwards, one step at a time. It's not so hard then. He can worry about what happens when it happens- that's what Blank and Zidane would have done.

The cable car lurches and screeches to a halt. He's out of his seat before he realises, the Princess no more than a step behind. He goes forwards with single minded determination.

Because, just for a little while, he is the pillar that supports his entire world. And, no matter what the challenge, he will not crumble.


	14. Errant

_Iron Tail Fratley_

_Errant

* * *

_

He balances his spear on his shoulder with unparalleled ease. It seems to belong there, as if it's been there all his life.

For all he knows, it has.

He can fight. That, he can do. He's almost a killing machine, the motions of death ingrained into his muscles. He has nothing to fight for, but he can still fight.

At times, he feels guilty, possessing this prowess. He doesn't feel like he's earned it, but perhaps he has. It's all so fuzzy.

Maybe he's not actually the owner of this powerful, frightening body. Maybe he just woke up in it one day, a ghost in a shell. He wonders, sometimes. Nothing is certain any more.

What has he lost, in that vast blankness that was his former life?

He doesn't know. But he has a spear, two feet, and a life. And he'll walk the dusty globe, spear hefted over his shoulder, searching for whatever it was he left behind.


	15. Coffee

_Cinna_

_Coffee

* * *

_

So he's not the prettiest, or the strongest, or the sneakiest. He is what he is. Why can't people accept that?

He's the hammer at two in the morning, bashing away at the Prima Vista's engine to stop them from all dying in a fireball. (It ain't easy.)

He's the trip and fall that lets everyone laugh, relax, unknot their shoulders. (Hey, someone's gotta do it.)

But most of all, he's the welcoming scent of coffee, welcoming them back, safe and alive, after another mission. They're the ones going on the adventures.

He's the one who takes care of Home.


	16. Unwanted

_Mikoto_

_Unwanted

* * *

_

Life with the Black Mages is...fun, apparently. Or so Vivi says. She's not sure whether she envies him or not. On Terra, there was no _acceptance_ of the fact you were created, not born. There was no reason to think about it. No reason to think.

The Mages are not all as wise as Vivi or the Mayor- although, those are high standards to live up to. Many of the mages have also neglected to think about their manufactured-ness, and have chosen to simply live for as long as they are permitted.

She needs more.

She was created for a _purpose_. She had a function to perform, before her expiry. But now Terra is gone, there is no need for an Angel Of Death. Her function has been voided.

But, the fact that she was designed to bring death makes her no different to any of the mages. They were all created to take life, even little Vivi. Not to live it.

She can't _understand._ She can't _accept_. She feels unwanted, somehow, like a toy that's thrown away whilst still in the packaging.

Vivi tells her she'll know what it means to live, eventually. He can't really tell her, he says, because it might take her a whole lifetime to figure it out. It practically took him one.

She sighs, and looks up at the moon- the only moon, now that the red light of Terra has been extinguished. The stream babbles through the village. The night air rests on her skin.

Life is the question. She spends it looking for the answer.

* * *

A/N: Just as an aside, you gotta love these characters with basically no screentime...


	17. Please, Kidnap Me

_Zidane & Dagger_

_Please, Kidnap Me

* * *

_

The kingdom was in uproar, of course. She didn't blame them- it was one hell of a plot twist. After the kidnap and grand escape in the first showing of I Want To Be Your Canary, the kidnapper returned in the second- and the Queen herself rushed into his arms, even discarding her precious jewel in the haste. The citizenry was shocked, the nobles disgusted. And, for those precious few seconds in his arms, she didn't even care.

They'd woken up in the same bed the next morning, limbs heavy with the kind of blissful sleep that only comes once in a lifetime. He'd rolled over, started playing with her hair, wearing the same cocky grin he'd been wearing since his great 'unmasking'. She'd groaned, tried feebly to bat his hands away, protesting with greatest insincerity that it wasn't proper, that he should stop.

"Ah, who cares? True love conquers all, I guess," he'd smirked. It sounded like one of his old pick-up lines, the kind she would have repulsed easily when it all first began.

_Exactly,_ she thought. _Who cares, apart from the citizens, and the nobles, and Steiner, and Uncle Cid, and..._

It was then that she realised how much trouble she was in.

After washing and dressing (in which Zidane was less than helpful), she scrambled down the staircase to find Beatrix and Steiner, confronted with one of the noble families.

"The Queen is not available for comment!" Steiner had barked, with no small degree of menace.

The father, a man with more chins than fingers, stepped forward. "Make her available! Her duty is to her subjects, is it not?"

After that, she'd taken great care to pacify the citizenry, assuring the nobles that there was nothing untoward going on. Her _affair_, as the newspapers had called it, with the thief became strictly confidential, taking place under cover of darkness. It was lucky, in a sense, that Zidane was practised in the ways of breaking and entering. No other man could find his way into the castle without being spotted as well as he could.

"I wouldn't mind, but I go through three pairs of trousers a week," he smirked one night, pointing at the holes in the knees from where he'd shimmied, landed, or crawled.

She sighed. "I know, Zidane, but what am I to do? The citizens would never stand for it if we were spotted together."

"Iunno. Maybe go on holiday, and leave Beatrix and Rusty in charge? I mean, they could handle it. Well, Beatrix could, and Regent Cid could always step in if things got rough," he grinned, tail swishing behind him. "Hey, there's an idea. Maybe we could stop off at Lindblum, and stay in the town a couple days."

She considered it. The kingdom was far stronger, now...It could look after itself for a few days, surely? But the question of stealth...

"I'd be recognised, Zidane. My face is too well known," she frowned.

He crossed his arms, rubbed his foot on the polished floor and tilted his head to the ground. His tail twitched as he thought. After a few seconds, a grin spread across his face.

"Dagger, you still got that cloak you used when I first kidnapped you?" he asked, devilish in demeanour.

"Oh, Zidane. You can't be serious..." she replied, gnawing her bottom lip.

He grinned, and snatched up her hand. "Well, sure. Got away with it last time, didn't we?"

She smiled as she remembered the first time he'd done this, back on the Prima Vista.

"In that case," she said, "I hereby order you to kidnap me. _After_ I explain the situation to Beatrix and Steiner, of course."

It wasn't a perfect solution. But perfect solutions rarely existed. All she knew was that Lindblum wasn't going to know what (or _who_) had hit it.


	18. Vows

_Vivi & Eiko_

_Vows

* * *

_

She was so...demanding. That was a good word for it, he guessed. And it wasn't just that she always wanted people to go here or do that; she was demanding in terms of how much energy it took to keep up with her, the attention she was always grabbing, the need for companionship she kept simmering under the surface.

Zidane had laughed, and told him, "That's what marriage feels like." 'Marriage'; he's heard the word once before, at Condie Petie, but he never really thought about what it meant. So, because Eiko keeps bossing him around, he's married to her? Does that mean he's 'cheating' on Quina? So many questions, and no one will give him a straight answer. (Least of all Quina, although Quina never gave anyone a straight answer anyway.)

There's no 'marriage' in the Black Mage Village, not even since the Genomes came to stay. He wonders why. After all, they boss each other around plenty at the Black Cat synthesis shop. And the chocobo was always running around, demanding everyone's attention and everyone's energy.

"You gotta come to Lindblum for my birthday, Vivi," she had chattered, tossing a handful of greens to the waiting beak. "Zidane's too busy."

He'd nodded, and felt somehow...sad. He knew she liked Zidane more than him (even though Zidane never took her orders), but why did it feel bad that he was her second choice?

Alexandria Castle has gotten bigger since the last time he visited. He's gotten a little bigger, himself. He wonders why- normally, black mages don't grow. Still, it makes him optimistic, that one day black mages can be like normal people.

Zidane hasn't grown, but he's growing somewhat of a goatee. Dagger's father had a goatee; that's probably why. He's still trying to impress her, even though they're 'going steady'.

"Why don't you get married?" he asks. Zidane spits his beer all over the table, and Blank smacks him on the head for making even _more_ cleaning for Ruby.

"And whenever Ruby's in a bad mood, I always seem to get the worst of it," he grumbles.

"Well, those two act like a married couple already.." Zidane mutters. Blank smacks him on the head again.

"So, Zidane. Are you really too busy to go to Eiko's birthday party?" he asks, trying not to laugh at the big bruise that's starting to form on the thief's head.

"Birthday party? She didn't tell me," Zidane says quizzically. "I don't think Dagger got an invite, either."

"Huh," he replies. It's only a week until the party. He wonders what it means, but gives up. He'll never understand girls.

-IX-

"Happy birthday, Eiko," he says, twiddling his fingers. She's already snatched the bouquet of flowers he picked from the forest for her. She inhales rapturously, approvingly. He's arranged them well, pink-yellow-pink-yellow, just like her old dress. Nowadays she wears red, but they still suit her. It was strange to walk through Lindblum, the industrial city, with the flowers in hand- people kept telling him 'good luck on your date', and the scent of machinery overtook the smell of the flowers.

"I love them. Thanks, Vivi." she announces. (It feels like she announces _everything_ she says, like she's talking to an audience.)

"U-um, Eiko...I talked to Zidane last week, and he says he didn't get an invitation," he says. She throws him an imperious look, and he realises that he's said exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.

She says, as if it were the most righteous thing in the entire world, "That's because I wanted you to come. And because you're a big softy, I knew you'd come if I said I was going to be lonely."

He would have come anyway, but he lets it slide. He already knows how dangerous it is to excite her ire.

"Vivi?" she asks, quieter now. She's got her back to him, her head turned.

"Yes?"

"You gotta come to my birthday next year, too. And the year after that," she says. Her voice cracks in the middle, like a bridge about to come tumbling down.

"But...Eiko...What if I Stop?" he asks. He realises he's said the wrong thing again.

"Don't. You're not allowed to Stop. You have to keep coming to my birthdays, until I'm a beautiful grown-up lady," she says, hitting a false, cheery note on beautiful. "Promise me."

He wonders if he should say yes. To be there, for as long as she needs him- it's a promise he can't possibly keep. But she's looking at him, with that steely, demanding eye, and he can't bring himself to say no. So, he makes up his mind to keep going- for as long as he can.

"'Til death do us part, I guess," he stammers.

"'Death do us part?' Quit being so depressing. What are we, married?" she laughs haughtily, bouncing back to normal in the blink of an eye.

He wonders, sometimes.


	19. Chasm

_Freya & Amarant_

_Chasm

* * *

_

It would take a fool to believe that there's nothing between them. They clash, like weapons, creating sparks of heat, of desire. They've both dedicated themselves to a single cause: he, to surpass Zidane, and she to aid Zidane in his quest. As irritating as the monkey boy is, he's the only thing tying them together.

She wishes.

As much as she wants to deny it, there's something almost _magnetic_ about his strength, like there was with Fratley's. It's a thrill that shoots up her spine when she faces him: _This person has the strength to change the world._

He admires her, too, if he'd care to think about it. She's poised, always ready to strike, a trembling pile of tension that melts seamlessly into action. Her aura is indefatigable, her spirit tempered. He could learn from her.

Their strength is their unity, but the world is against them. Between them is a chasm, of time, of circumstance, of past battles and loves. They stand at opposite ends, flaunting their power across the divide.

And all they're waiting for is for someone to jump to the other side.


	20. My Duty is to You

_Beatrix & Steiner_

_My Duty is to You

* * *

_

They are the armour that protects Alexandria.

_The Mist swirls, and the monsters with it_

But the steel that protects them lies almost in tatters, rent asunder by the spawn of the Mist.

_A fog of aggression, war and brutality_

Something inside him howls with dark delight. His strength, battle-won and war-bought, compels him to strike the monsters down. He wants to tear, to maim, to exact a vengeance for the kingdom's suffering.

_Driving men to madness_

At his back, she quivers with the same desire. All her training, her forced cruelty, is collected in her blade. All she does is follow the sword as it dances, of its own accord, through Mistodon hide.

_And spawning a nightmare._

All it takes is her ragged breath to pull him back from the brink. He knows that, for the moment, they are as good as one: the sole defenders of the realm. If he loses himself, she, too, will fall.

_You are your own worst enemy._

If she falls, he falls. And the kingdom falls with them. As he lunges into the fray once more, it all becomes clear to him: to save the country, he must first save the woman at his side.


	21. Afterword

_Afterword

* * *

_

I started this drabble collection as part of my monthly challenge. I like to use that challenge to work in fandoms which I adore, but don't write in myself for whatever reason. Final Fantasy IX, my favourite Final Fantasy, was a clear candidate for it.

I have to say, though, I kinda messed this one up. My first mistake was to insist on doing all the major(ish) characters. Of course, because some of these characters don't actually appear that often (Fratley, for instance, is Freya's driving force throughout the game, but appears only once outside of the epilogue, and has precious few lines), I had trouble getting their character down.

My second mistake was to let time get ahead of me. Because I had a month in which to do it, I got lazy and left it all to the last second...Which meant that I did the last ten chapters within two days.

My third mistake was having a cold on the last two days of the month- because when I'm sick, my writing is full of suck.

Nevertheless, I hope you've enjoyed this drabble collection. It did have some good points- even I was surprised at how well Quina's piece came out. If you want to see more Final Fantasy IX drabbles, you can either vote for it on my poll, trawl through the archives for others, or, better yet, why not write your own? This series honestly deserves more love, and I'd like to see what everyone else comes up with. Thanks for reading, and especial thanks to everyone who reviewed!


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